WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts venue for two years starting in July for construction. Trump’s announcement on social media Sunday night follows a wave of cancellations since Trump ousted the previous leader ship and added his name to the building. Trump made no mention in his post of the recent cancellations. Related Articles The Grammys bring more celebrity pushback to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown Johnson says no quick House vote to end partial shutdown and blames Democrats for their ICE demands Huge cache of Epstein documents includes emails financier exchanged with wealthy and powerful Trump administration approves new arms sales to Israel worth $6.67 billion Judge calls Justice Department’s statements on slavery exhibit display ‘dangerous’ and ‘horrifying’ Trump announced his plan days after the premiere of “Melania” a documentary of the first lady was shown at the storied venue. The proposal, he said, is subject to approval by the board of the Kennedy Center, which has been stocked with his hand-picked allies. Trump himself chairs the center’s board of trustees. “This important decision, based on input from many Highly Respected Experts, will take a tired, broken, and dilapidated Center, one that has been in bad condition, both financially and structurally for many years, and turn it into a World Class Bastion of Arts, Music, and Entertainment,” Trump wrote in his post. Leading performing arts groups have pulled out of appearances, most recently, composer Philip Glass, who announced his decision to withdraw his Symphony No. 15 “Lincoln” because he said the values of the center today are in “direct conflict” with the message of the piece. Earlier this month, the Washington National Opera announced that it will move performances away from the Kennedy Center in another high-profile departure following Trump’s takeover of the U.S. capital’s leading performing arts venue. A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. ...read more read less